CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

NEED AND IMPORTANCE

CHAPTER 2 PHYSICAL CONDITIONS

LOCATION

ACCESSIBILTY

CONTEXT

BUFFER ZONE

TOPOGRAPHY

AVAILABLE NATURAL RESOURCES

SOURCE OF WATER

SLOPE

SOIL TYPOLOGY

VEGETATION

CHAPTER 3 HISTORIC IMPORTANCE

CHAPTER 4 REJUVENATION AND RESTORATION

CHAPTER 5 A DESTINATION FOR ALL

CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION / ANALYSIS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” - Gary Snyde

Water bodies are important components of the natural water cycle on which an entire
ecosystem is dependent. Once these natural catchments and reservoirs are destroyed, the
cycle is disturbed. Water bodies also contribute to keeping up a healthy groundwater table
that has gone very low in India.

Delhi is already grappling with a serious water shortage. An environment department survey
by Delhi government in 2014 revealed a sad state of water bodies in the capital. Out of 611
water bodies, 274 have already dried up, while the rest 337 that still have water are in a
terrible state.

The Neela Hauz Lake was also going the same way. Once a beautiful fresh water lake which
fed the of flora and fauna, it turned in to a dumping ground for debris and raw sewage
from the surroundings. But with the concerted efforts of local residents,
environmentalists and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the lake is now the
symbol of environmental regeneration at the Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park. The
regeneration model has proved so successful that officials have submitted the
concept to the Delhi Jal Board for implementation in other water bodies across
Delhi.

In response to a petition filed by local residents in Delhi’s High Court, Neela Hauz was handed
over to DDA under its Delhi Biodiversity Foundation. The revival process started immediately
by the Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems with the design being
credited to Professor C.R. Babu, The centre and the professor have no experience in water
engineering or water body revival[11] and the project was funded by public money. It is unclear
if any tendering process was followed and for what reason an inexperienced agency working
with students was appointed. Despite claims being made that the project is low cost and
performing well, no budget details have been released by the DDA and independent testing
has shown the system is not meeting standards.

The DDA took responsibility to revive the dead lake through a Constructed Wetland System
(CWS). The lake is critical to maintain water levels in south Delhi, especially the Mehrauli
block, where the water table has fallen drastically.
 NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SITE

 It would help in conservation of a water body as an essential part of the environment

it helps in recharging ground water and maintaining microclimate in the area.
 This seek to conserve keystone species and other threatened plant and animal species,
preserve the biodiversity of any habitat that is likely to be converted into urban
infrastructure, establish field gene banks for threatened land races and wild genetic
resources, promote education on environmental awareness and nature conservation.
 Education and awareness to begin of morning walkers and institutions about the
heritage of the forest.
 Development of nature trails and student activities in the forest for education and
awareness in association with school and NGO networks.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION THROUGH WETLAND RESTORATION

Figure 1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

CHAPTER 2 PHYSICAL CONDITIONS

LOCATION

Neela Hauz is located on South Central Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range next to Sanjay Van, in
Delhi . It lies in the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor. A 3.90 hectares mini
biodiversity and wetland area along Aruna Asaf Ali Road. A freshwater lake which was slowly
dying due to the dumping of waste. During ancient times it use to be the main source of water
supply for the Rajput city of Qila Rai Pithora. Its basin was recharged by the wider dense
forests of Sanjay Van and its overflow drained in to Yamuna.

Figure 2 RIDGES OF DELHI

The site lies to the north of the settlement of Mehrauli, New Delhi.

It is bound by
 Aruna Asaf Ali Marg on the west,
 Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg on the north,
 Shri Aurobindo Marg on the east,
 Mehrauli to the South.

Type : Natural Area

Location : Along Aruna Asaf Ali Road, South Central Ridge, Delhi Ridge
Nearest city : Hauz Khas, Delhi
Coordinates : 28.5286867°N 77.1686125°E
Area : 3.90 hectares
Created: 2015
Operated by : Delhi Development Authority
 Figure 3 SITE DEMARCATION
Source : Google maps-open street maps

ACCESSIBILITY

Connectives:
Nearest Metro Station is R K Puram Metro Station , Chhattarpur Metro Station, Qutab Minar Metro
Station
New Delhi Railway Stations is 18 km approximately
I.G. International Airport is approximately 17 km
Nearby places :

 Sanjay Van 1.1 km

 Mehrauli 1.2 km
 Lal Kot 1.3 km
 Jawaharlal Nehru University 1.3 km
 Qutb Complex 1.5 km
 DDA Park 1.5 km
 Qutub Institutional Area 1.8 km
 Mehrauli Archaeological Park 1.8 km
 Vasant Kunj 2.1 km
 Figure 4 ROUTE MAP
Source : www.dda.org

SITE PLAN

Figure 5 SITE MAP

Source: Author Generated
CONTEXT

Figure 6 CONTEXTUAL MAP

Source: Author generated

Monuments and Religious Structure

The only monuments are Qila Lalkot, mehrauli archaeological park, qutub minar which
bounds the site and Lakhi Nath Kuthi, which lies down south.

The religious structures of a Shiv Temple, Shahi Idgah and Dargah Ashiq Allah lie within the
boundary. Apart from these are four (4) graveyards.

Figure 8 MEHRAULI ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK Figure 7 QILA RAI PITHORA

Source : www.wikipedia.com Source : Google images

Figure 9 DARGAH ASHIQ ALLAH

Source: www.wikipedia.com
Natural Features

The forest, which is part of the Mehrauli South Central Ridge, has undergone severe
degradation in recent times with the proliferation of the Prosopsis Juliflora tree which is
nonendemic to the Aravalli ranges and has caused depletion of the ground water level, killing
native flora and changing the natural soil characteristics of the Aravallis. Sewage water and
effluent discharge into Sanjay Van has also affected this green belt in the Capital.

The forest is home to blue bulls, porcupines, jackals, palm civets, and a variety of rare birds,
butterflies and insects. The Indian Black Eagle and other big birds of prey like the Eurasian
Eagle Owl, Serpent Eagle and Shikra are natives to this ecosystem.

Figure 11 HAUZ KHAS VILLAGE

Source: Google images Figure 10 ARAVALLI BIODIVERSITY PARK
Source : Wikipedia.com

Figure 12 SANJAY VAN

Source: Google images

Infrastructure and public buildings

JNU campus and IIT Delhi campus surrounds the site , whereas CPWD Building, International
Management Institute & Rockland Hospital are also around it. Residential colonies located
nearby are Vasant Kunj, Saket, Munirka, Aurobindo Marg, Lado Sarai, Kishangarh, Katwaria
Sarai and Mehrauli. The types of housing surrounding the forest are residential houses,
builder floor apartments and multistorey apartments.
 Figure 13 IIT DELHI
Source: www.wikipedia.com

Figure 14 JNU CAMPUS

Source : Google images

TOPOGRAPHY

The site lies within the boundaries of the reserved forests of Sanjay Van. Thus being far from
human reach by law, it holds very few manmade structures.

Figure 15 GEOLOGICAL SURFACE OF DELHI

Source : Geological survey of india
  The ridge is a northern extension of the ancient Aravalli, some 1500 million years old
(compared to just 50 million for the Himalaya. The ridge consists of quartzite rocks
and extends from the Southeast at Tughlaqabad near the Bhatti mines branching out
in places and tapering off in the north near Wazaribad on the west bank of the river
yamuna covering a distance of about 35 kilometres.
 South Central Ridge has an area of 626 ha including Sanjay Van and is located near
Mehrauli. The whole of this ridge is under the control & management of Delhi
Development Authority.

SLOPE

The recorded level variation is 25m; the lowest contour being at 243m above mean sea level
and the highest being at 268m. Though a maximum gradient of 30 degrees is noticed, average
gradient is 7.5 degrees.

Figure 16 CONTOUR MAP OF SITE

Source: Topographical survey base map, phoenix planning studioz,2013
AVAILABLE NATURAL RESOURCES

SOURCE OF WATER
The ground water level changes from 45m to 50m. With the proliferation of the Vilati Keekar, the
water table has been disastrously pushed down.

SOIL TYPOLOGY

Site on the South Central Delhi Ridge of

Aravalli range next to Sanjay Van, in Delhi.
The soil for site is Kohi, composed of
quartzites or sandstones of the Delhi ridge,
which is account for about 10 percent of
Delhi. The texture of such soils varies from
sandy loam to clay loam Due to the uneven
topography; these soils are subjected to a
severe degree of erosion. The soil of
Mehrauli consists of sandy loam to loam
texture. The terrain is uneven and rocky.

Figure 17 SOIL TYPES OF DELHI

FLORA AND FAUNA

15,000 native plants and shrubs of 75 species from 6 bio communities were planted in 2015-
16. Slopes were stabilised by planting the grasses, such
as chrysopogon, heteropogon and cenchrus ciliaris. Wetland has restocked with
the phytoplankton, zooplankton, free floating and rooted aquatic plants.
By 2016, the lake was home to over 70 bird species, including migratory birds.

Figure 18 ON SITE MAP

Source: biodiversity documentation unit , Aravalli biodiversity park
Plant communities of Neela hauz biodiversity park
The landscape around the lake will harbour the following communities which will attract the
animal world

Birds of Biodiversity park

CHAPTER 3 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE

A part of the south central (Mehrauli) ridge, which has been under tremendous pressure of
civilization right from the early days of the sultanate, it features the semi-arid/arid vegetation
typical to the Aravallis. But what sets this place apart is the plethora of ruins and heritage,
both discovered and undiscovered, that lie within its folds. From the crumbling walls of Qila
Rai Pithora to the innumerable graves from the centuries gone by of the Delhi Sultanate to
the Colonial era, one can stumble into new surprises every day in this moot little jungle in the
heart of the city.

During ancient times Neela hauz lake use to be the main source of water supply for the Rajput
city of Qila Rai Pithora, its basin was recharged by the wider dense forests of Sanjay Van and
its overflow drained in to Yamuna.

In 2014, the wetland was covered with water haycinth and ridge was infested with the
invasive species of prosopis juliflora (Vilayati Babul or Kikar of Mexican origin), which were
planted in the 1920s by the Britisher colonisers to rehabilitate the wasteland.The silted up
lake was encroached upon and raw sewage drained into it, causing concerned citizens to take
an order from Delhi High Court to have it restored by the government. After the restoration
started in 2015, this biodiversity park was officially inaugurated in November 2016.

Figure 19 NEELA HAUZ IN HISTORIC CONTEXT OF QILA RAI PITHORA

Figure 20 NEELA HAUZ AS ON JULY 2006
Source: Google maps

Figure 21 NEELA HAUZ AS ON MARCH 2013

Source: Google maps